Culture

Culture

Green Issue: Green screen special effects make the impossible possible

Isabel Gonzalez | April 19

From daily newscasts to sci-fi films, green screens can be seen — or perhaps more accurately, not seen — in many forms of media. A green screen is a special effects tool that helps combine multiple visuals into a single image. The technical term for this process is compositing, and it all starts with an equation: A + B (1-a). “A” represents the foreground plate, which is the image that one wants to keep. “B” represents the background plate, which is simply the background to be added. To keep the desired parts from “B,” it must be multiplied by the inverse alpha, represented by “A.” “It isn’t the math part that’s hard, it’s the problem solving that’s hard,” said Paris Premdas, a senior interdisciplinary film and digital media major.

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Culture

Green Issue: Students grow food on campus, promote sustainability with Lobo Gardens

Troy Amato | April 19

The Lobo Gardens is UNM’s own environmental project, aiming to bring beauty and nature back to the campus while inspiring community involvement and interaction. Third year UNM transfer student Keith Knutila said that Lobo Gardens has a clear goal — to educate UNM on the importance of community and nature. “The objective of Lobo Gardens is to provide the University of New Mexico students, faculty and staff with opportunities to educate themselves and their communities about the practices and health benefits of growing one’s food in sustainable ways,” he said.

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TV

Green Issue: Top 5 movies and shows to watch while high

Matthew Narvaiz | April 19

Ah, 4/20. A day that many designate as a sort of “National Weed Day,” as if it were an actual official holiday. It is a day that holds a special place in the hearts of many — perhaps even more so than family gatherings on what many consider traditional holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving — as mass amounts of green are consumed. Watching something while high can be a spiritual experience. A good high can provide viewers with almost superhuman senses that allow them to see and hear things they have never noticed before, even if they’ve already seen the movie dozens of times. Here is a list of five of the top movies and shows to watch while kicking back and smoking a joint, because there is no better way to enjoy the high than by staring at a television screen for hours on end, right....right?

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Culture

Green Issue: Architecture building's "green roof" offers beauty, sustainability

Nichole Harwood | April 19

Students at the School of Architecture and Planning, along with UNM professor Bill Fleming, are leading by example with their “green roof,” a unique rooftop garden that recycles rainwater and helps reduce energy costs. The green roof has been atop George Pearl Hall for the last five years, Fleming said. It consists of several layers that collect and store rainwater, which is then used to water the “green layer,” made up of soil and native plants. “When the new building was pre-planned I suggested that we have a green roof to demonstrate sustainable design and to demonstrate that we can capture water from the rooftop stormwater in cisterns and use that to water the green roof,” he said.

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Culture

Green Issue: Gaelic Football Club promotes community, cultural connections

Ariel Lutnesky | April 19

If you are looking for a way to connect to Irish culture, look no further. The Albuquerque Gaelic Football Club strives to create a community celebrating the popular Irish sport, and it’s open to everyone. Fergus Whitney, the president of the community club, said Gaelic football is like a mix of basketball, soccer and rugby — utilizing all parts of your body while embracing sense of physicality with the opposition. Whitney contrasted Gaelic football with American sports, saying Gaelic football is played at a much faster pace.

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Culture

Green Issue: Best albums to listen to when high

April 19

It would make any pothead giggle, a Green Issue on 4/20, and if there’s three things stoners love it’s weed, 4/20 references and music.

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Culture

Green Issue: Five differences between green in the U.S. and green in China

Bo Yu | April 19

The color, green, is most commonly associated worldwide with sustainability, nature and the global celebration of Earth Day. Green is symbolic for, among other things, environmental protection, health, ecology, organic substances and nature. Many countries have also adopted the color of green in their military and traffic lights. However, the following six facts about the use of green in Chinese culture would astonish you.

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Culture

Green Issue: The vegan’s guide to off-campus food

Diana Cervantes | April 19

1. Naruto Not only does Naruto host authentic Japanese cuisine, but they offer two vegan-friendly options to satisfy any palate: Fried Rice and Vegetable Eggless Noodles. The fried rice can be made vegan by requesting no eggs, or by simply stating: vegan noodles. The noodles are then fried with carrots, green onions and spices, topped with garnish. The vegetable ramen comes with shiitake mushrooms, kombu seaweed broth with black mushrooms, cabbages, bok choy, Chinese cabbages, carrots, tofu, and red bell peppers. Ask for no boiled egg.

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Culture

Renowned Brazilian cellist to visit UNM

Nichole Harwood | April 16

UNM’s Music from the Americas Concert Series will be showcasing the talents of Brazilian cellist Iracema de Andrade on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in Keller Hall. “The Music from the Americas Concert Series is a permanent personal initiative which main purpose is to bring to UNM Ibero American guest artists of the highest level to present concerts, lectures and masterclasses,” said UNM Professor Jose Luis Hurtado.

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Culture

UNM to host Indian Pop Art lecture

Manuel Chavez | April 16

The UNM Art Museum is hosting a lecture on the rise and fall of Indian Pop art, a movement whose origins lie at the Institute of American Art (IAIA) in the 1960s and ‘70s. The lecture is the result of the partnership between UNM and the Georgie O’Keefe Research Center. The partnership began in 2012, initiated by College of Fine Arts Dean Kymberly Pinder. UNM Art Museum Director Arif Khan said the partnership began after Pinder moved to Santa Fe from Chicago as an O’Keefe scholar in 2007.

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News

A Good Friday trek on Tomé

Matthew Reisen | April 16

Light blues seeped into the desert sky as we trudged up the steep side of Tomé Hill. The trail was still isolated, save for a few people. As we rushed to the top, anxious to see the sunrise, I noticed a woman stepping very slowly. Once I was closer I noticed that her feet were bare upon the jagged rocks. She carried her shoes as tears streamed down her face. That was when it sunk in; the full magnitude of what this pilgrimage means to so many. Once at the top, we found ourselves among a group of about 20 people, surrounded by three huge crosses permanently fixed into the hill.

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Culture

Music professor retires after 33 years teaching clarinet

Troy Amato | April 12

After over three decades at UNM, clarinet and saxophone player and music professor Keith Lemmons celebrated his teaching career with a farewell performance last night. A quintet started 33 years ago by Lemmons called the New Mexico Winds played a composition of flute, oboe, bassoon and horn, with Lemmons on clarinet. The Winds’ performance was a culmination of everything Lemmons has learned teaching clarinet and saxophone at UNM. “I came [to UNM] in the fall of 1984, 33 years ago,” Lemmons said. “I grew up in the Midwest, in Iowa and Kansas. I went to a small school in Kansas, Pittsburg University, a regional school with around 8,500 kids.”

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Culture

Opera singer to explore love, lust and bullfighting at graduation recital

Ariel Lutnesky | April 12

With graduation near, Estefania Wilcox, a graduate student who is studying the human voice, is gearing up for her final recital as a UNM student. Wilcox has been singing ever since she can remember. It all started with her family, she said. “The earliest memory that I have is of the women in my family singing to me,” Wilcox said. “My grandmother, my mom and my aunt always sang to me and I loved to sing with them. My grandmother taught me how to harmonize.” Wilcox said she tended to love classical and lyrical music, although she did have a Spice Girls phase. She took piano lessons and sang choir in high school.

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Culture

Fiestas 2017 delivers a festival experience in miniature form

Fin Martinez | April 9

In an age where giant music festivals in isolated deserts and forests cater to trust-fund royalty kids, famous ravers and those with enough money to afford to go on weeklong benders, it’s a gem to find a free music festival. ASUNM’s “Fiestas” has been going on for the past 50 years, or so they say, but really it seems that it made its real debut in 2013. That year, artists like Zion-I and Tritonal played to a crowd of elated students fueled by vices and pure happiness that big name artists had come to their relatively obscure hometown. Some, like event-goer Chris Moore, wondered “Why wasn’t there cool stuff like this when I was going to school?” Maybe the answer lies in the rise of giant music festivals, with their multiple stages and jam-packed crowds.

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Culture

Aikido club teaches a peaceful style of self defense

Ariel Lutnesky | April 9

The future of Aikido, a Japanese martial art centered around self-defense, is in the west, according to longtime practitioner Nicholas Johnson. “If you're in America and you're able to go to a dojo, it's a really prime time to take advantage of that,” said Johnson, who is the president of Aikido at the University of New Mexico, a student organization focused on the art. One way anyone in Albuquerque, can start training in Aikido is by joining his club. “It's not exactly like a rigorous training program, so if you're looking to get ripped in 60 days, it’s not going to do that for you — but it is physical,” Johnson said. “Even if you're scared of any physical thing, or if you've never done any martial arts before, it's no problem. It's really great for getting in touch with your body.”

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Culture

Exhibit highlights UNM's role in New Deal

Nichole Harwood | April 9

UNM will be hosting an exhibit in Zimmerman Library this week focusing on the University’s participation in New Deal programming, as both a recipient of the funds provided from the federal program created by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s. This exhibit, titled “A New Deal at UNM: federal funding transformation of the 1930s,” will run from Tuesday through the beginning of August. “The exhibit is installed in the Center for Southwest Research. It is our own exhibit, using materials from the Center for Southwest Research special collections and some from UNM Art Museum collections,” said Audra Bellmore, UNM associate professor with the Center for Southwest Research.

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News

Students form campus group to promote mental health

Nichole Harwood | April 5

In a time when nearly 20 percent of Americans suffer from some form of mental illness, a group of students has started a UNM chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI is the largest grassroots organization addressing mental illness in the U.S, and UNM’s newly formed chapter is joining that fight. “Most people that are going to suffer from mental mental illness in their lifetime are going to be diagnosed by the time they're 25,” said Matthew Rush, a UNM graduate pursuing his PHD and the president of NAMI UNM. NAMI UNM is in its first semester as an on-campus affiliate, having been only recently recognized by the national organization it shares its name with. NAMI UNM became an official affiliate on Feb. 24, just months before Mental Health Month, which begins in May.

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Culture

Parkour instructor turns campus into his playground

Troy Amato | April 5

19-year-old freerunner and parkour coach from Taos and UNM Freshman Payton Hanna is a rarity in his community. Hanna has been freerunning for four years now and hopes to continue to push the boundaries of the sport. Hanna said UNM’s unique and mobile campus made it a big draw for an avid freerunner such as himself. “UNM is one of the best places I’ve found for parkour and freerunning, with walls everywhere and jumps and things — it’s a parkour paradise! It kind of drew me into UNM and I love it,” Hanna said. “I started a freerunning program at Ninja Park, a ‘Ninja Warrior’ gym just north of campus, that focuses on parkour and freerunning. I just started in January, but I’ve been an instructor for two years.”

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Culture

Trumpet Week will show off music students' horn skills

Troy Amado | April 5

From April 8 through 12, UNM’s Department of Music will be hosting “Trumpet Week,” a special concert series organized by Professor John Marchiando. Trumpet Week features an array of events featuring UNM students, faculty, and guest trumpeters. “Trumpet Week was conceived to feature all that the trumpet has become to the Department of Music at UNM,” Marchiando said. “From the guest artists to the students, faculty and alumni of the studio, everything is featured during the week.” The inspiration was to give the community and students at UNM something that would be a fun event to participate in, but also to bring some visibility to what we do in the Music Department as a whole, he said.

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Culture

SWFC Preview: 'Manchester by the Sea' delivers Oscar-winning performances

Fin Martinez | April 5

The Southwest Film Center is once again bringing a critically acclaimed film to its theaters from April 7 to 10 in the UNM SUB. Following their presentation of “Moonlight” earlier this semester, SWFC is screening the award-winning film “Manchester by the Sea,” directed by Kenneth Lonergan, famous for his legendary film “Gangs of New York.”